The calendar reminds us that the official start of spring is still six weeks away, but don't tell that to Eastern's athletic teams, which have begun pre-season conditioning and workouts in preparation for their respective 2022 spring seasons.

While last weekend's snowstorm is proof that that we are smack dab in the throes of winter, the Warriors – like most all of their counterparts in the Little East Conference – have sprung ahead for the season ahead which officially starts for some even before February turns to March.

During the overnight earlier this week, the Eastern grounds and maintenance departments spent the better part of the late night and early morning hours clearing off the Rick McCarthy turf field and the competitive running track which circles it at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex, and in near-freezing temperatures Tuesday night (but perhaps the warmest it's been after the sun has set in several weeks), the women's lacrosse team took full advantage by staging perhaps the earliest official outdoor practice ever by an Eastern spring team.

The women's lacrosse team opens its second season under head coach Dee Stephan March 3 at Curry College at Walter Katz Field and during spring break plays three more in Florida; under fourth-year head coach Marc Graham, men's lacrosse is scheduled for an official opener Feb. 26 at Gordon College; under 21^st-year head coach Diana Pepin, the Warriors play six games in Columbus, GA the first week of March before playing eight more during spring break; on March 5, head baseball coach Brian Hamm begins his fourth season at Eastern with a doubleheader at Hood College in Maryland, and during spring break, his nationally-ranked squad plays five games in Fort Myers, FL.

Under tenth-year head coach Kathy Manizza, the second half of the indoor season for the Eastern track & field teams is underway, and the Warriors transition to outdoor competition March 26 at Wesleyan University.

For all five teams, there is anticipation for a successful spring ahead; even if the calendar reminds us that we're still very much in the clutches of winter.